April Fools
by Amoureuxe
Summary: Max plays a prank on Alex and Justin that changes the way they see each other.
It was April Fools Day, and Max Russo was up to his old tricks. He pranked his siblings Justin and Alex Russo to no end. He set up up woopie cushions, jump scared them a few times, and was generally a terrible nuisance. He even used magic to enchant pies to smack them in their faces. Alex didn't submit without a fight. She got Max back, prank calling him and setting up hilarious traps, despite Justin's cries for them to grow up already.

"Enough you guys!" he cried at last, dragging both Alex and Max by the arm into the living room.

"He started it," Alex said, batting her dark hair behind her shoulder, trying very hard not to crack up.

The youngest Russo had his arms folded in annoyance. The left side of his face was covered in white flour.

"Oh, I'm gonna get you back for this, Alex," he quipped.

Justin tapped his foot impatiently.

"What did I just tell you? You will stop this childish pranks right now!"

Alex smirked proudly.

"Both of you!"

"Aw, why do you have to be such a bore, Justin?" Alex said.

"Promise me, or I'll tell mom and dad."

Both Alex and Max reluctantly agreed, muttering obsenities under their breath as they uneasily shook hands in a truce.

"What a momma's boy"

"Ugh! You suck Justin!"

Pleased with himself, Justin went back to his room.

...

Knock, knock, knock.

Justin looked up from comic book he was reading. He was laying on his bed casually dressed in sweatpants and a comfy long sleeved T shirt. The door opened and Alex walked in slowly. She wore a gaudy oversized shirt and black leggings,her feet bare. Her hair was swept over her shoulder, which Justin thought made her look...nice. He always felt protective of her, and even if she tormented him, he felt this closeness to her that he did not experience with anyone. Buy he would never tell her that.

She was carrying something in her hands, and in the gloom of his dimly lit room, he couldn't make out what it was.

"What do you want, Alex?"

Alex walked further into his room. He was expecting her to retort with a smart quip, but she walked cautiously, scared even.

"Justin..." she started.

Justin sat up suddenly and got to his feet, sure that something was wrong.

"What is it, Alex?"

The dark haired girl held up the package in her hands. It was a simple brown envelope.

"I found this in mom and dad's room," she said, her eyes downcast.

He took the envelope from her hands, eager to find out what upset her.

"Wait!" she shouted. "These might not even be true..."

"Let me be the judge of that."

He cautiously opened the envelope and peered inside. There were really old papers held together by a rusted staple. He pulled them out and looked through them. Alex's hand was now covering her hand as she tried not to cry. Justin read the piece of paper slowly, the shock and realization creeping up on him.

"I'm.." he started, but couldn't finish his sentence.

"Maybe this is a joke," Alex suggested hopefully.

Justin sat down slowly. The veins in his head were pounding, and he felt a little lightheaded.

"I'm..."

"Justin this doesn't change anything. You'll always be my.."

Without looking up, he raised a hand to silence her.

"I'm adopted," he said slowly.

The old papers were wrinkled and faded, but they were clear. They were clearly from Social were clearly adoption papers. Alex sat down on the bed next to him and put her arm around his shoulders.

"So mom and dad are not my parents?" he said in disbelief. "How could this be? I mean, they never told me anything."

Alex broke into tears.

"Oh Justin..." she lay her head on his chest and he embraced her with his arms and held her as she sobbed. "I'll still love you, you know that? I know I never say it because we're always fighting, and you're such a dork-"

He tried to chuckle, but it came out as three short gasps.

"-but I do. Maxie does too. And I'm sure mom dad do."

Justin sighed deeply. "Buy now I'll always feel like an outsider. I mean, who are my real parents? Where are they?"

Alex said nothing, and they sat there, her with her head on his chest listening to his heartbeat slow down from a fast run to a more slower rhythm.

After what felt like an eternity, Justin mumbled, "You know how you always say you wish we were never related? Well, now it's true."

Alex sat up and punched him in the arm. "Shut up! I was only playing around."

She giggled slightly and he actually grinned. It was good to see her laugh.

"It's true. We're not related."

Alex shook her head, still smiling. Only Justin would try to make jokes in a serious situation. His poor comedic timing had been the butt of her jokes for so many years, but it's what made him, well, Justin. She looked at the boy who sat next to her with a stupid grin on his face, and thought about all the times he had annoyed and lectured her. She thought about the times he protected and even fought for her. She tried to imagine a life without him. She almost choked.

"We're not related," she repeated.

Suddenly the situation took on a different meaning. Suddenly she looked back at her life with different eyes. Suddenly she realized how close she was sitting. How his arm was still around her.

In the dim light, he could see the blacks of her eyes. They were wider than he had ever seen them. Without thinking, he leaned forward. She responded in complete sync, and their lips met slowly, briefly.

He started to pull away and opened his eyes. For another eternity they gazed in each other's eyes, paralyzed by the kiss. Justin's opened his lips as if to speak, but his words were cut off by Alex's lips as they interlocked with his again. The second kiss was longer, and more passionate. Alex opened her mouth wider and Justin was free to explore her tongue with his. His heart was pounding, and a million voices were shouting to ber heard in his head,but they were all background noise. Distant background noise. Alex fell backward on the bed and he followed her, not ready to let her go. She responded in kind, holding his head in her arms as the kiss deepened.

There was a knock at the door, and the pair jumped apart as if the other was on fire. Max ran in, his eyes wide with glee.

"Alex, did you show him yet?" the youngest Russo exclaimed.

"What are you talking about, Max,"she asked, combing her hair back with her fingers. Her heart was pounding so much she thought it was going to leap out of her chest.

"Oh, I see you did!" Max said, gesturing at the discarded adoption papers on the floor. "Oh man I missed it, how was Justin's face?"

Justin slowly got to his feet, his eyes wide with panic.

"Max, what did you do?"

Max picked up the papers.

"April Fools!"

Justin felt like he had just been shot in the chest.

"You mean they are..."

"Not real?" Max jumped in. "Of course! Al, it took was a photocopier and a new spell I learned and voila! Justin Russo becomes Justin Ramsbottom or something." Max laughed at his own joke.

Justin had gone very pale, and Alex felt like she was about to collapse.

"Oh wait did you really believe you were adopted? Max asked, pleased that his prank was getting the right reaction.

Alex was first to recover. "Of course he didn't, you dweeb. He's not stupid." She stopped herself from making eye contact with Justin.

"Aw man, I was sure that was going to work," Max said dejectedly. "Oh well, better luck next year!"

He strolled out of the room, his thoughts now occupied by what snack he wanted to eat.

Alex cast a wary at Justin. So had changed...

Justin slowly moved his eyes up to meet hers.

"April Fools," he said weekly.


End file.
